Ministers have been criticized for their alleged disregard for modern slavery by instructing Labour MPs to remove legal safeguards that prevent public funds from being allocated to Great British Energy for purchasing solar panels produced with forced labor in China.

The protective measures were initially incorporated into the government’s bill by an amendment proposed by independent peer David Alton, urging the new body to refrain from financially supporting solar panels or other products linked to credible evidence of contemporary slavery.

However, speculation suggests that Labour MPs may be pressured on Tuesday to remove this anti-slavery clause from the bill, despite potential concessions, as the government asserts that they have already initiated steps to address the issue through a solar task force led by Energy Secretary Ed Miliband.

The Housing Minister, Matthew Pennycook, has announced that the government could already ensure that solar panels it uses are not made by Uyghur individuals in China, yet he emphasizes the need for broader action across the energy sector to tackle forced labor in supply chains.

Critics from both Labour and the Conservative side argue that abandoning these legal protections is shameful and represent a stance contrary to anti-slavery principles. Former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith denounced the government’s direction as a betrayal of their previous stance against enslavement.

The Prime Minister’s office has avowed its commitment to combating modern slavery, suggesting that their strategy of holistic government and societal effort focused on victim support would be more effective than bans on specific companies. Ed Miliband, recently back from China, has launched a £200m solar panel fund for schools and hospitals but maintains that manufacturing such panels in Britain is currently economically unfeasible.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/mar/25/labour-accused-of-turning-blind-eye-to-slavery-over-solar-panels-made-in-china